Concentrating mainly but not exclusively on the Loire's vineyards, its vignerons and their wines along with places to eat and stay. Also covers some recently published wine books – not just from Loire. Regional Chair for Loire @Decanter's World Wine Awards since its inception.
Winner of the 2009 Wine Blog Trophy (journalist category) Salon des Vins de Loire. I have a large and expanding library of photos, particularly from the Loire – places, producers, vineyards etc. European.

Wednesday, 1 April 2015

Man Booker winning novelist
Julian Barnes and cookery writer
Annie Bell announced the winners
of this year’s awards, showcasing the best of contemporary food and
drink writing at the Goring Hotel in London last night.

Wine writer
Wink Lorch was awarded this year’s prize in the
drink category for Jura Wine (Wine
Travel Media), an insider’s guide to the Jura wine region, with local
food and travel tips. The judges described the publication as
exhaustively researched,
packed with information and full of good photos – many by Mick Rock (Cephas), who collected Wink's award as she is currently in Chile.

Julian Barnes, this year’s assessor for the wine books, said: “Jura Wine is the first proper book in English about the wines of Jura. When its author took her first-ever glass of it, she thought it was ‘weird’. It is a reaction many of us have shared, and perhaps not got beyond. Happily for us, she did, and has produced a personal and deeply committed guide to this often intractable region.”

Wink Lorch said: “I am hugely grateful to the Andre Simon awards judges for choosing my Jura WIne book for the best drinks book award, a real honour especially as André Simon himself loved to write about French wines. Great news for the little Jura wine region and for me too, with thanks to my wonderful team who helped create the book, and to the Kickstarter supporters.”

Writer and photographer
Mark Diacono – known for his commitment to sustainable, ethically sourced food – scooped the prestigious prize for food writing for his 2014 publication, A
Year at Otter Farm (Bloomsbury).

Alongside this philosopher
Julian Baggini’s publication
The Virtues of the Table (Granta) was recognised with a Special Commendation while
Sediment (John Blake Publishing) by
Paul Keers and Charles Jennings won this year’s John Avery award.

Picture use

Unless otherwise stated all photos on this site are copyrighted – Jim Budd. They should not be used without authorisation and due credit.
Please contact me on budmac@btinternet.com for all use. There will usually be a charge for use in commercial publications – papers, magazines, websites etc. and for other commercial uses.
Photos that are used for commercial use without permission will be charged double – the fee for the use of photo and for breach of copyright.
Commercial organisations asking to use photos for no payment may not always receive a polite response.